Self-locking nut



April 24, 1945.

'0 E. SIMMONDS SELF-LOCKING NUT Original Filed April 17, 1941 Patented Apr. 24, 1945 Original application April 17, 1941, Serial No. 389,076. Divided and this application January 8, 1942, Serial No. 426,071. In Great Britain April 24, 1940 v2 Claims. (CI. -86) This invention relates to a method of joinin two members together and more specifically to a method of assembling cooperating threaded elements and locking means therefor. This app cation is a division of my prior application Serial No. 389,076, filed April 17, 1941.

An object of the invention is-a method of .ioining two members together by the provision thereon of parts extending therefrom and adapted to cooperate together and to be forced into interlockmg engagement by the application of pressure.

Another object of the invention is an improved method of assembling cooperating threaded elements and locking means therefor.

In the manufacture of lockin nuts'comprising a locking disc or washer, it has been the usual practice to weld the locking disc or washer to one end of the nut body or to house the said disc oris a simple and satisfactory method of assembling.

a nut body with a locking washer or disc in which the operations of welling or counterboring are obviated.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which like reference numerals denote like parts and in which: Figure 1. is a vertical sectional view of one form of spring metal disc;

Figure 2 is a central vertical section of one form of nut blank for receiving the spring metal disc shown in Figure l Figure 3 is a top-plan view of the completed nut;

Figure 4 is a vertical sectionalview taken on the line l-t of Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a top plan view of a still further form of nut;

' Figure 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line t-t of Figure 5; a

Figure 7 is a plan view of yet another form of spring metal disc, and

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken on the line 3-8 of Figure 7. I

In the form of nut illustrated in Figures 1 to 4, the apertured disc 26 has a converging flange of conical formation whilst the nut body I has at one end thereof a deformable tubular extension 23 having diverging conical walls and providing a peripheral recess 24. The maximum external diflange 25 can be placed round the tubular extension 23 of the nut body I of Figure 2. In such position, axial pressure is applied to the peripheral portionof the spring metal disc 26 whereby the tubular extension 23 is displaced axially and laterally into the undercut recess provided by the flange 25 of the disc 26 which is thereby heldsecurely to the nut body against removal, as showninFigure 4.

In the form of lock nut shown in Figures 5 and 6 the inner portion of the apertured disc 33 is in the form of an annulus having a single radiallyextending slot 31 forming a single bolt-engaging portion 38 adapted to engage substantially one complete turn of a bolt thread. The whole of the bolt-engaging portion 38' lies in a plane normal to the bolt axis withthe exception of a part adj acent the slot 31 which is bent downwardly to form a lip 34 facilitating the initial engagement of the 1 bolt thread with the bolt-engaging portion 38 of the disc. As shown'in Figure 6, this form of apertured disc may have a converging conical flange and be secured to the nut body I provided with a tubular extension 33 in a manner- 35 in the forms of nut shown in Figures 4 and 6 ameter of the tubular extension 23 and the minirespectively normally serve to prevent relative rotary ovement between the nut body and tha apertured disc, but other or additional means may be provided to prevent such movement.

Figures 7 and 8 illustrates. further form of spring metal disc 46 in which the bolt-engaging portion thereof is in the form of an annulus having an inner diameter equal to or slightly greater or less than themininium diameter of the threads desired, be of V or other suitable shape in sec-- 7 tion, as illustrated in Figures 7 and 8. so as to mate with'the threads of a co-operating bolt. Furthermore, in some cases the inner part of the disc-maybe dished or domed to increase the resiliency of the bolt-engaging part of the disc, and in the spring metal disc shown in Figures 7 and 8, the inner part of the disc is shown as being dished.

In all forms of nut in accordance with the present invention the apertured disc is made' separately from the nut body thus allowing the nut body to be formed from any desired metal, whilst the disc, since the aperture therein is not provided with a screw-thread, may be manufactured most economically, some forms of the disc merely requiring a simple stamping operation for their manufacture.

The term "locking washer used in the ap-- placed over and to surround closely the said deformable extension of the nut body, placing the flange of the locking washer over the said deformable extension and applying axial pressure to upset the said deformable extension into the undercut recess provided by the flange on the.

locking washer.

2. The method of assembling a disk-like member to the body portion of a nut provided with wrench-engageable surfaces, comprising providin one end of the nut body with a deformable tubular extension having an inner dimension greater than the base diameter of the nut threads and having an undercut outer surface afl'ording a recess, providing the disk-like member with a peripheral converging flange adapted to be placed over and to surround closely-the said deformable extension of the nut body, placing the flange of the disk-like member over the said deformable extension and applying generally axial pressure through the disk-like member to the deformable extension to deform the latter outwardly of the nut axis into the flange on the disk-like member. OLIVER EDWIN SIMMONDS. 

